Cheers and tears as Qantas international flights take off

Nearly 600 days after Australia closed its international borders, Qantas commercial passenger flights have taken to the skies to reconnect Australia to the rest of the world. 

QF12 from Los Angeles touched down in Sydney at 6.00am today with no border or quarantine restrictions for incoming passengers who are fully vaccinated. QF1 (Sydney to London via Darwin) will be the first Qantas International flight to depart out of Sydney at 6.30pm.

While the national carrier has flown hundreds of Federal Government repatriation flights during the COVID-19 pandemic, and operated under a temporary border bubble arrangement with New Zealand earlier this year, these are the first regular Qantas international passenger flights after the Australian and NSW governments relaxed restrictions on overseas travel.

Initial flights are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families and parents in line with Federal Government requirements.

Qantas will operate international flights between Sydney and London and Los Angeles from today, with flights to other destinations relaunching in coming weeks.

For more information, refer to the Coronavirus travel update page for further information related to your customer’s travel, including Qantas vaccination requirements and our network.